October 30, 2022, 15:41 PM
October 30, 2022, 15:41 PM
President Jair Bolsonaro received Flamengo this Sunday in Rio de Janeirobrand-new Copa Libertadores champion, shortly after voting in the ballot that pits him against Lula da Silva in Brazil.
The far-right president voted early in the city of Rio de Janeiro and then left by car for the international airport in Rio to receive the champions of South America, that the day before they beat Athletico Paranaense 1-0 in Guayaquil (Ecuador), AFP reporters confirmed.
In images released by the campaign team, Bolsonaro is seen lifting the third Libertadores won by ‘Fla’, the most popular team in Brazil with more than 40 million followers, and surrounded by part of the red and black delegation.
The president took a photo carrying the trophy in the company of coach Dorival Júnior and players such as Rodinei, Fabrício Bruno, Marinho, Thiago Maia, Léo Pereira and Everton “Cebolinha”.
The two last they posed forming with their fingers the number 22, code to vote for the head of state in the second round this Sunday, in which he faces the former leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, favorite in the polls by a small margin.
After receiving them at the air terminal, the dignitary flew over Rio in a helicopter in the company of some athletes such as Thiago Maia, Santos, Marinho and “Cebolinha”, according to another official video.
Bolsonaro gave his support to Flamengo in the run-up to the third consecutive Brazilian final of the Libertadores, despite the fact that he recognizes himself as a fan of Palmeiras de Sao Paulo, the great rival of ‘Mengão’ in recent years.
In fact, last year, when the continental final was between Flamengo and Palmeiras, with emerald victory, He also opted for the Cariocas, whose leadership supported him in his efforts to reactivate soccer with the public during the pandemic.
The president has collected most of the scarce public support from soccer players who have demonstrated politically in the elections, starting with the athletes of the ‘Seleção’ Neymar and Dani Alves.
The presidential elections they crossed in the celebration of the fans of the Rio de Janeiro team, the one with the largest fans in the world within a country, according to FIFA.
In 2019, when they won their second Libertadores by defeating Argentina’s River Plate in Lima, the first since 1981, fans flocked to their team through the streets of Rio.
On Saturday night, despite the elections, there were some street parties in the ‘cidade maravilhosa’ and in other parts of Brazil.
